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| Photo Credit: ©2005 Buglady Consulting |
| Two-spotted spider mites are the most common of all pest mites. |
The two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) is the most common of all plant pest mites and has been reported on more than 200 plant species. They are mites and not insects.
What does a two-spotted spider mite look like?This pest is easy to identify because its name gives it away: It has two spots on its back. These spots can be seen with a hand lens and vary in color from green to red to purple. The life cycle of the two-spotted spider mite depends on temperature: In warm weather, this mite can complete its life cycle in as little as five days. Adult females can live two to four weeks and can lay several hundred eggs during that time. Populations especially thrive in hot, dry weather, so under these conditions, watch them close – they can creep up on you. Two-spotted spider mites overwinter as adults in leaf litter and under bark, not as eggs. So when it warms up in spring, they crawl out, ready to mate. What kind of damage do two-spotted spider mites do?Plant damage from two-spotted spider mites is easy to see. Leaves can have bronzing on the foliage or a flecked look to them. When numbers are high, fine webbing can be seen on the plants, as well as cast skins that look like white flakes. As mites grow they shed their skins, just like snakes do.
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